VP, Product Research Strategist

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced VP, Product Research Strategist to join our Financial Crimes Platforms team. This pivotal role is not just about conducting research; it's about strategically influencing our product direction by uncovering deep user understanding and translating it into actionable insights. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, demonstrating a proactive and "scrappy" approach to generate quick hypotheses and insights. You will be instrumental in bridging the gap between user needs, product development, engineering capabilities, and business objectives. You will leverage your expertise to understand complex operational processes, drive strategic product decision-making, and champion user empathy across our enterprise solutions. This role requires close collaboration with design and a strong grasp of design systems to ensure research directly informs exceptional user experiences. Key Responsibilities: Strategic Research & Insight Generation: Proactively identify critical research questions and strategic opportunities within the Financial Crimes Platforms domain, often navigating ambiguous problem statements. Design and execute lean, agile research methodologies (e.g., rapid qualitative studies, ethnographic research, usability testing, surveys, data analysis) to generate timely hypotheses and actionable insights. Champion innovative approaches to gather user feedback and operational intelligence, demonstrating resourcefulness in leveraging available data and tools. Operational & Data-Driven Understanding: Gather, analyze, and synthesize necessary operational data to lay the foundational groundwork for understanding complex systems, workflows, and user behaviors. Develop comprehensive user flows, process maps, and user journey diagrams to articulate current states, identify pain points, and envision future-state solutions. Utilize these artifacts to support design decisions, facilitate product roadmap discussions, and drive consensus across cross-functional teams. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence: Act as a strategic partner to Product Management, Engineering, and Business stakeholders, embedding user understanding throughout the entire product lifecycle from discovery to delivery. Translate complex user behaviors, motivations, and pain points into clear, compelling narratives and strategic recommendations that resonate with diverse audiences. Actively contribute to product strategy and roadmap discussions, ensuring user needs and research insights are at the forefront of decision-making. Design Partnership & Advocacy: Work closely with Design teams to ensure research insights are seamlessly integrated into the design process and inform the evolution and application of our enterprise design systems. Provide recommendations based on user input, general observations, and a firm understanding of human behavior and empathy in advocating for users within complex workplace systems. Promote a user-centered culture and elevate the importance of design thinking across the organization. Thought Leadership: Provide thought leadership on best practices for product research, UX strategy, and user advocacy within a highly regulated and fast-paced financial technology environment. Qualifications: Education: Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Cognitive Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design, Product Management, or a related field. Minimum Experience: 8-12+ years of progressive experience in UX Research, Product Strategy, or a similar role, with a strong portfolio demonstrating impactful work. Proven experience operating in a senior individual contributor or leadership capacity within an enterprise environment, preferably in financial services or FinTech. Demonstrated experience with end-to-end research processes, from planning and execution to synthesis and communication of insights. Skills: Proven mastery of AI-enabled workflows to generate insights, synthesize research, and create strategic concepts and artifacts. Exceptional ability to operate proactively, independently, and resourcefully ("scrappy") to deliver impactful insights with speed and efficiency. Advanced analytical skills with proven ability to gather, interpret, and synthesize both qualitative and quantitative operational data to inform strategic recommendations. Expertise in developing and utilizing visual artifacts such as user flows, process maps, and journey maps to communicate complex user and system interactions. Deep understanding of human behavior, cognitive psychology, and user-centered design principles. Strong familiarity and practical experience working with enterprise design systems and contributing to their evolution based on user input. Superior communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence and persuade senior leadership and cross-functional teams. Demonstrated ability to drive initiatives and influence without direct authority. Strong business acumen and understanding of product development lifecycle in an agile environment. Work samples must directly reflect the skills and capabilities specified in this role description. Preferred Experience: Experience in the financial services industry, particularly within compliance, anti-money laundering (AML), fraud, or other financial crimes platforms. Experience working with global teams and diverse user bases. ------------------------------------------------------ Job Family Group: Technology ------------------------------------------------------ Job Family: Digital Design Engineering ------------------------------------------------------ Time Type: Full time ------------------------------------------------------ Primary Location: Tampa Florida United States ------------------------------------------------------ Primary Location Full Time Salary Range: $125,600.00 - $188,400.00 In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire. ------------------------------------------------------ Most Relevant Skills Please see the requirements listed above. ------------------------------------------------------ Other Relevant Skills For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter. ------------------------------------------------------ Anticipated Posting Close Date: Jul 08, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------ Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi. View Citi’s EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.